Following scintillating return to 155 pounds, Nate Diaz done with welterweight – for now

It’s not that his two recent losses in the division have discouraged him from giving it another shot. It’s not even that he was influenced by an incredible UFC 135 win over Japanese legend Takanori Gomi.

No, the truth is Diaz (14-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) feels like he has a duty to stay at lightweight for now. A quick survey of the division’s landscape, and Diaz realized he belongs among the sport’s best 155-pounders.

“A lot of the guys I beat are top contenders at 155,” Diaz told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Melvin Guillard is about to get a title shot and (Clay) Guida, I thought I beat up Guida pretty good.

“I can’t stay at 170 when all the guys I’m whooping are at the top of the division.”

Whether or not you agree with Diaz’s logic, it’s hard to argue with his decision. Diaz looked downright pedestrian in recent welterweight losses to Rory MacDonald and Dong Hyun Kim, but he fought like a man possessed against Gomi.

It’s a fight Diaz admits he wasn’t originally excited to take when looking at “The Fireball Kid’s” struggles to adjust to life in the UFC. But the 26-year-old said he took a step back and recognized the opportunity to defeat an MMA superstar and entered the bout at full motivation.

“Gomi is a legend,” Diaz said. “He’s done a lot of good things. I’ve got to fight him because he’s signed to fight me, and he’s in my bracket. I was just saying that he lost to a couple guys in the UFC, but he’s done a lot cooler things than some of the guys that he’s lost to. It’s an honor to fight someone like that, a worthy opponent.

“He’s a guy I used to look up to and still do. I just had to play it smart because that guy will get you.”

And Diaz did fight smart, albeit anything but cautious. He outstruck the striker for most of the opening round, and when Gomi tried to take the fight to the floor, Diaz made him pay with a slick armbar that earned the fiery Californian the evening’s “Submission of the Night” bonus.

“[Gomi] is good,” Diaz said. “He’s dangerous, and he’s got a lot of knockouts. But I do know he’s wild, so I knew I had to be smarter than him and try my best not to get caught with anything hot – just pick my punches, do things right and keep a smart head on my shoulder. Pretty much just play it safe.”

Diaz’s next move is currently unclear. He’s 3-2 in his past five bouts, but two of the three wins did come outside of the lightweight division. Prior to that run, Diaz had struggled through a 1-3 stretch. Essentially, Diaz could find himself matched up with just about anyone in the UFC’s 155-pound division.

But one thing is certain, a few more performances like he turned in on Saturday night, and Diaz will quickly be calling his own shots.

“If that was playing it safe, I can’t wait to see when he goes crazy,” UFC president Dana White said. “He punched from the minute the bell rang until the end, until he finished the fight. He was in his face, stalked him the whole time.

“I think Nate looked better than he ever has in any of his fights in the UFC. He looked unstoppable.”

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